Resident Evil 9: Release Date, Story, And More
The villagers have put down their pitchforks, the vampires are banished back to the crypt, and Donna Beneviento's creepy dolls are back in their dollhouse. The credits have rolled on Resident Evil Village, and what is easily one of the craziest things to come out of the Capcom kitchen. Of course, players know Village is just the second chapter in a planned Winters trilogy, making it The Empire Strikes Back of the sinister saga.
Warning: Resident Evil Village spoilers ahead
Considering the dust hasn't even settled on Village, it's no surprise that details surrounding Resident Evil 9 are thin on the ground. Even if the Four Lords and Mother Miranda have bowed out in typically explosive Resi style, the story is far from over. Well, at least for some of the characters. From potential time jumps, a continuation of Chris Redfield's story, and the ability to actually play as a Bio Organic Weapon, here's everything we know about Resident Evil 9.
Will there be a Resident Evil 9?
Click to enlargeCapcom confirmed there would be a Resident Evil 9 before Village even clawed its way onto console and PC. Since 1996, the developer has continued to churn out entries in this rotten world of shady organisation and slow-moving zombies. It means it was no real surprise another game is out there brewing in the abyss. That being said, there are insider rumours that RE9 will be the last of numbered entries. It's a formula that's worked well for Capcom, but with offshoots like Resident Evil - Code: Veronica and Resident Evil: Revelations showing you don't have to stick with a linear format, it could be the end of shoehorning Roman numerals into titles.
We already know the next game will round off the trilogy started in 2017 with RE7, but could it also be the end of the road for the story and characters we've come to know since the early days? Village packed a lot into its main campaign and delivered some nice twists that tied it back to the birth of Umbrella. Faring better than the expanded lore did in Resident Evil 5, Village could've also served as an endpoint as things came full circle. With a presumed time jump on the cards in RE9, it might be time to box off those lingering plot threads the Umbrella Corporation, its former employees, and the various viruses have left behind.
Resident Evil 9 characters
Click to enlargeFront and centre of Resident Evil 9 is clearly Rose Winters. Even though she spent the majority of Village as a babbling baby who was the kidnapped victim of Mother Miranda, the story leapt into the future with a jaw-dropping post-credits scene. Picking up with a teenage Rose, she was under the watch of a sunglasses-wearing agent who is presumably part of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA). The main game ended with Chris and Mia plotting a course for the BSAA headquarters in Europe, so it's likely he's either toppled or rejoined his former employer.
The post-credit scene gave Chris a name-drop, so we know he's at least around somewhere in Rose's future. Elsewhere, artwork from Village confirmed the fan-favourite Ada Wong was originally slated to appear. Away from hopes she could get her own Village DLC, bringing Ada back for RE9 makes a lot of sense. Any number of series staples could rear their heads again, with Claire Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, and Jill Valentine being an easy sell. It's a long shot, but who wouldn't want to see the miraculous resurrection of Albert Wesker? As Village has taught us, nothing is beyond the realms of possibility.
Finally, the end of Village bizarrely teased the return of another ghost from the past. Despite Ethan Winters meeting his maker (again) in Village, the final shot of the game shows an unknown figure walking toward Rose and her escort. Players have dug deep into the game and deciphered that it's none other than Ethan himself. Capcom could've just used his character model as a placeholder, and although Village said "the father's story is now finished", we aren't buying it.
Resident Evil 9 release date
Click to enlargeTrying to guess when Resident Evil 9 will release is a bit like trying to solve one of the franchise's most difficult puzzles. Looking back at recent releases, Resident Evil 6 landed in 2012 (three years after Resident Evil 5), while there was a five-year gap between RE5 and Resident Evil 7. Even though there was plenty of post-release content following RE7, it was four years between the first two Winters games.
Speaking to IGN, Game Director Morimasa Sato confirmed development on Village started about 18 months before RE7 even released - suggesting RE9 is already well into the development process. Still, that doesn't mean it's likely to drop this side of 2025. Let's also remember that Capcom released 2019 and 2020 remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis between main series entries. We're guessing that even if RE9 is still a while off, the hopeful release of a proper Resident Evil 4 remaster could fill the gothic-shaped hole in our lives.
Much like Mr X, Resident Evil 9 is an unstoppable killing machine that is marching toward us at some point. Although Village wasn't a perfect affair, it raised the bar in terms of mythology and the ability to continuously reinvent the long-shuffling series. While we're sad Lady Dimitrescu won't return as the poster girl of the next game, we're excited to see what Capcom has up its sleeve as we open up the "umbrella" all over again for Resident Evil 9.
Images via Capcom